eDiaperCakes Giveway Winner!

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You have won the $25 gift certificate

to eDiaperCakes.

Thanks for entering and following along!

October Package Pals from C.R.A.F.T.

Isn't going to the mailbox usually a drag?  You know what I mean....junk mail or bills?  This is especially true  since e-mail has replaced the friendly letter you would have received via US mail back in the day!  Well, e-mail can't replace the awesome package that arrives at your door!  Yup!  And I think it's fun not only to receive a package but to put one together as well!  To get my fix, I participated in C.R.A.F.T.'s October Package Pals.  I was partnered up with Lauren of The Crazy Live of LT.  She is a talented lady who loves the color Teal.  So, I decided to go on a craft supply hunt for teal items.   Here's what I found.

I found more turquoise supplies so I hope she likes these:  premo clay, Americana paint, Martha Stewart glitters, Jolee's washi tape, e-beads, two strings of glass beads, and a gorgeous bandanna!

I made a teal/turquoise gift basket out of an ice cream tub, lined it with the banadanna and filled it with all the other craft goodies.

I then decided to tie the bandanna up with a fabric strip.  I also included my washi tape/sticker coasters so Lauren would have something to place her drink while she dreamed of teal creations!

I sure hope Lauren enjoys her surprise in the mail!  I know I had a blast searching for goodies to give to her! Happy creating.

4 You

Ice Cream Tub Turned Gift Basket

I hate how much trash I generate especially when I see "potential" in that "trash".  This results in a stash of "future treasurers" which drives my husband nuts. He thinks I should just toss stuff and only collect items when I have a definite plan for them.  (Of course, he's always love when I create something for virtually nothing.)

Anyway, our neighborhood grocery store had a great sale on ice cream a while back.  After we consumed the ice cream goodness, I washed out the tubs and put them aside for a future project.  Well, the future is here! 

I started with my clean, empty ice cream tub and a can of spray paint.

I went to a well ventilated  area (outside) and placed my tub on top of some scrap cardboard and began spraying.   It took two light coats on the outside and inside to cover the tub completely.  

The two coats provided good coveage.  However, there were two problems:  1.  the oval from the label is still apparent and 2. there is a drip on the upper left side of the "oval".

I had some scraps of fabric leftover from my woman cave project so I decided to make some fabric flowers.  I then hot glued them to hide the oval and paint drip.

I found a color coordinated bandanna, placed my gifts inside, and tied it shut.  Look what a cute package it is!

So my new package has a reusable tub (decorated with fabric scraps) and a reusable bandanna.  I think I'll be making more of these this holiday season.  Wouldn't this be a beautiful way to give Christmas cookies and confections?

4 You

Tile Coasters with Washi Tape and Stickers

As you all know, I've recently experienced a  Leaf Coaster Fail. I was so sure my idea was going to work.  Trust me, it was gorgeous in my mind.  Like any "failure" I believe you need to get back on the horse and try again.  So, here's my newest adventure with tile coasters.

 I grabbed 4 tiles and a sheet of some fun stickers.  First I thought I would just use stickers but then I got to thinking.  Hmmmmm.

Hey, how about some of the awesome "washi tape" I picked up at Target a while back?  (In case you haven't heard, in the office supply section of Target, they sell packs of 4 rolls of paper tape for just $4!)

Now the fun part...decorating the tiles!  Since I didn't have success with a "planned" project the last time, I decided on a random pattern.  I think it looks fun!

Next I applied  Mod Podge.  I ended up applying 2 coats of Mod Podge and one coat of Polycrylic (sealer)

When making tile coasters, I usually hot glue squares of felt onto the bottom of my tiles. Today, I decided to try using these felt pads.

Talk about easy peasy.  They just stuck right onto the bottom of the tiles!

I think they turned out pretty good.  Okay, my faith in my "tile coaster" abilities have been restored!

This was a super easy and inexpensive craft.  I think I just may be making more of these for gifts this holiday season! ;)

4 You

$25 Gift Certificate Giveaway to eDiaperCakes.com

I have never given it much thought but every celebration has a cake:  weddings, birthdays, and graduations to name a few.  Well, here's a great new twist on the baby shower cake:  a diaper cake!  Yup, diapers arranged so that it looks like a wedding cake.  There's a great site eDiaperCakes where you can purchase one of these amazing cakes.  Trust me, this diaper cake will be the talk of the shower.  Take a look at a few of their creations.




Aren't these amazing.  It's such a great gift:  not just diapers but all sorts of baby supplies and goodies.  I'm also so excited to say that right now there's a chance for you to enter to win a $25 gift certificate off your next eDiaperCake purchase.  Enter the rafflecopter giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

4 You
Marilyn

Autumn Pay Day

Do you like Pay Day candy bars?  My youngest sure does!  Pay Days and Snickers tie for his favorite candy bar.  Did you know you can enjoy that awesome Pay Day flavor and celebrate autumn too?  Thanks to one of my husband's past employees, Ben, I learned this super easy combo and I'm going to share it with you.  

Autumn Pay Day

Ingredients:

1 bag of candy corn

1 pound of salted, roasted peanuts (I prefer the lower salt variety)

Directions:

Open both bags and dump into a bowl to combine.  Then serve!

So give this a try.  You'll be amazed at just how good this is.

4 You

Marilyn

Leaf Coaster - Fail!

Don't you just love making something original with products that don't cost an arm and a leg?  I sure do.  That's one of the reasons why I'm loving using ceramic tiles for coasters.  I saw this great post from One Artsy Mama for Fall Leaf Coasters and got inspired.

Aren't Amy's coasters great?  I LOVE them.  This project got me to thinking.  Hmmm.   What if I spray painted the coasters gold and then decoupaged maple leaves onto them.  Pretty classy, I'm thinking.  Here's what I did.

I first got some metallic spray paint in gold.

In a well ventilated area (I went outside) I spray painted 4 white ceramic tiles that I picked up at Home Depot.  These are the really cheap ones for $0.14 each.

I then had a bag of silk "fall leaves" that I picked up from the "Dollar Tree".  (I love the Dollar Store because everything really is just a dollar!)

Next I brought out my trusty Mod Podge and painted a layer onto my tiles and "glued" on the leaves.  The leaves were not completely flat so I put on a rather thick layer of Mod Podge. (I was going to trim off any excess leaves once the Mod Podge dried)

It took FOREVER for the tiles to dry.  Well, take a look....or as good of  a look as you can.  The gold paint "ran" and looks streaky...NOT elegant!  The leaves didn't completely adhere to the tile....lots of "pockets" of unsecured leaves in the middle so there is no way to secure them.

So, take away points for you.

• This type of spray paint does not adhere to ceramic tiles.  You would probably be best to use a lacquer or a glass paint.
• See if you can iron the silk leaves to make them completely flat so that they can be adhered to the tiles without any air pockets.
• Or perhaps experiment with fabric Mod Podge on the silk leaves to see if this initial preparation will make securing the silk leaves more successful.

Okay, I have 27 leaves leftover.  What should I do with them?  Hmmmmm

4 You

Spirit Mondays #3 - DIY Team Coffee Mug

Pinterest is such a great place to find inspiration, don't you think?  One of the ideas that I've seen floating around is decorating porcelain with sharpie markers and then baking it to set the ink.  I was at Goodwill and found a couple of white porcelain mugs for just $0.25 each so I just had to try this out.

Here's one of my mugs along with the sharpie marker I used.

As many of you know, my daughter is a member of Ohio University's marching band:  the Marching 110.  So I decided to make this mug for her.  Here's where I started.  

When, I completed all the decorating I wanted to do, I cooked the mug in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.  I let it cool completely.  Once it had cooled, I washed it in warm soapy water with a simple sponge.  The ink did not come off!  

Here's the final product from the front. 

Here's the other side of my completed mug (one of their "cheers").

This is a simple and inexpensive project you can make for that sports fan.  A recommendation/hint if giving this as a gift.

• I have heard things on the internet that this can wash off in the dishwasher.  Others have not had luck when they use a "scrubbie" when hand washing.  This being said, I would write a note on the bottom of the mug that states, "hand wash only with a sponge or soft rag".

4 You

Internet and Router Finally Fixed - Wooo Hooo!

Can you hear me jumping around like a kid at Christmas?  This is because.....

The internet at home is finally fixed

AND

The router is finally fixed!!

I apologize for not replying to e-mails, getting posts up, sharing on Facebook, etc.  Our home computer set up has been experiencing  so many technical problems the last couple of weeks.  However, they are all fixed so that means.....

I'm Baaaaack!!

The few things I have done over the past couple of weeks have been done at the library.  This was so challenging because the library has limits as to how long you can stay at the computer....UGH!  But this problem is no longer a problem!  Yippee!!

I'm pumped to be able to visit all of your blogs to see what you've been up to (and get amazing inspiration, of course!  I've also been working on some projects that I can now write up and share with you.

4 You

Spirit Mondays #2 (although it's Tuesday) - No Sew Blanket

I apologize for my Monday post appearing on Tuesday!  My internet has been down at my home since Thursday afternoon and boy has it put a crimp in my life.  It's funny how conveniences become necessities, isn't it?

Okay, let's get back on topic:  School/Team Spirit Mondays!  This past weekend my husband and I went down to Athens, Ohio to watch the Ohio University Bobcats and their amazing marching band (the Marching 110!)  My daughter was a freshman at the University (and in the band) fall of 2009 and you'll never guess what song the band danced to at homecoming that year.   Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train"!  Check it out.

Anyway, this past Saturday was the best day for a football game. It was a beautiful day:  sunny, breezy, 70+ degrees F.  Simply gorgeous.  However, when you look around you see that the leaves are changing color and you know these beautiful days will soon be replaced by cold, crisp ones.  It's time to start bringing a blanket to the game (or curl up with on the sofa).  If you can't sew, don't sweat it.  This blanket doesn't require anything but some fleece, scissors and optional masking/painters tape.

No Sew Fleece Spirit Blanket

The first thing you'll need are 2 pieces of fleece:  one piece for each of your team's colors.  Here's my fabric.

I purchased 1.5 yards of each color because I wanted a blanket large enough for when I am lounging on my couch.  If you were looking for a lap blanket, you could probably use 3/4 to 1 yard of each color.

The first thing I did was spread my two pieces out, one on top of the other, and trimmed off the selvage edges and made sure the other edges were evened up.

Now, I did want to take a moment to recommend these fiskar shears that have spring action.  See, when you unlock them they spring open.  This type of scissor will help keep your hand from cramping up.

I decided that I wanted to have my fringe pieces be 8 inches long.  (However, you could make your fringe as short as 4 inches to save on fabric).

1.  I took a piece of notebook paper and trimmed it down so that it was 8 inches square.

2.  I took this square (piece of paper) and used it as a template on the the left corner of my prepared fabrics.

3.  You can see where I cut out the square of fabric. You will complete this on all 4 corners of your fabric.

Next, I took a piece of painters tape and "taped" a line between two "cut-out" squares on one side.   This gives you a temporary line 8" away from your edge.  You will repeat this on all 4 sides of your blanket.

Now, using your scissors, you want to cut 1 inch strips all 4 edges of your blanket.  

After you have finished cutting all your fringe, tie the top and bottom strips together in a square knot.  Note:  be sure to always start with the same colored piece so it looks uniform.   If you are tying each pair the same, they should lie like this.

Look, you now have a warm blanket to use while cheering for your favorite team!

4 You

Pumpkin Cake Batter Dip

I was at the grocery store the other day and look what I found!  Yup, a 17 oz tub of fage Greek yogurt for just $0.99!  This was such a great deal I had to pick up a couple of tubs.

Now, I've seen lots of dip recipes using cream cheese so why not use Greek yogurt instead. I got to experimenting in the kitchen and came up with a yummy fall treat.  If you like cake batter and pumpkin this dip is for you.  It's super easy and yummy.  Here's how!

Pumpkin Cake Batter Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup plain greek style yogurt

1/4-1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup yellow cake mix (dry)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a bowl.  Using a mixer, blend until smooth.  Transfer your dip to a smaller bowl.  Serve with gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, or honey pretzels.

I hope you enjoy this!

4 You

Marilyn

Show Your Dog Some Lovin' with Taste of the Wild

Are you a dog person or a cat person?  Me? I'm definitely a dog person, along with everyone else in my family!  Take a look at these two cuties.

My family rescued Curtis December of 2010 when he was just 3 months old.  Martha, the pretty girl on the right, we are currently fostering and planning to adopt here soon.  The plan is for Martha to be my daughter's dog when she graduates this spring.

Anyway, when my kids were little, we had a yellow lab named "Suzy".  I had never had a dog before and just purchased whatever cheap food I could find.  I didn't realize the nutritional differences between the various kinds of dog food.  Live and learn!

Just like I love those around me and am always trying to make something for them (hence 4 You With Love...get it?) I love these dogs.  So, I went to my local pet supply store and looked at all the high end dog foods.  The "Taste of the Wild" brand intrigued me but it is expensive.  And what if Curtis and Martha don't like it?  Take a look at what I received in the mail?

Yup, an amazing sampler package of the 5 different varieties!  I just contacted the manufacturer directly and asked if they would send me samples and they did!  I don't  know what flavor my guys will like (probably all of them), but I'm sure they'll  enjoy trying these!

So, take the time to give your furry friends the best nutrition possible.  If something looks good but you don't want to invest just yet, contact the manufacturer.  They just may send a sample!

4 You

Marilyn

Thanks to All My Blogiversary Sponsors and Friends

I'd like to thank EVERYONE for celebrating last month with me.  I had a blast.  For all my new followers, I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you better!  For everyone who has been following along for a while, thanks so much.  Each of you are so special to me!

I'd also like to give a special thanks to everyone who guest posted or sponsored a giveaway.  Your support means the world to me.  Everyone, please check out all these amazing blogs, websites, and etsy stores.  These ladies are so incredibly talented and deserve to be celebrated and supported.







Thanks again and here's to a great 2nd year!

4 You

Marilyn